Active drive mechanism for simultaneous rotation and translation

ABSTRACT

An exemplary drive apparatus may include a roller assembly and a roller support. The roller assembly may have a first continuous surface, a second continuous surface, an open configuration for receiving an elongate member, and a closed configuration for securing the elongate member in the roller assembly. The roller assembly imparts axial motion to the elongate member along the first continuous surface, which maintains contact with the elongate member during the axial motion. The roller support rotates the roller assembly about the second continuous surface, which maintains contact with the roller support during rotational motion. The roller assembly and roller support to impart axial and rotational motion, respectively, independently of one another.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/359,886, filed Nov. 23, 2016, entitled “ACTIVE DRIVE MECHANISM FORSIMULTANEOUS ROTATION AND TRANSLATION,” which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/835,136, filed Mar. 15, 2013 entitled“ACTIVE DRIVE MECHANISM FOR SIMULTANEOUS ROTATION AND TRANSLATION”. Thedisclosure of each of the above is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

BACKGROUND

Robotic interventional systems and devices are well suited forperforming minimally invasive medical procedures as opposed toconventional techniques wherein the patient's body cavity is open topermit the surgeon's hands access to internal organs. However, advancesin technology have led to significant changes in the field of medicalsurgery such that less invasive surgical procedures, in particular,minimally invasive surgery (MIS), are increasingly popular.

MIS is generally defined as surgery that is performed by entering thebody through the skin, a body cavity, or an anatomical opening utilizingsmall incisions rather than large, open incisions in the body. With MIS,it is possible to achieve less operative trauma for the patient, reducedhospitalization time, less pain and scarring, reduced incidence ofcomplications related to surgical trauma, lower costs, and a speedierrecovery.

Special medical equipment may be used to perform MIS procedures.Typically, a surgeon inserts small tubes or ports into a patient anduses endoscopes or laparoscopes having a fiber optic camera, lightsource, or miniaturized surgical instruments. Without a traditionallarge and invasive incision, the surgeon is not able to see directlyinto the patient. Thus, the video camera serves as the surgeon's eyes.The images of the interior of the body are transmitted to an externalvideo monitor to allow a surgeon to analyze the images, make adiagnosis, visually identify internal features, and perform surgicalprocedures based on the images presented on the monitor.

MIS devices and techniques have advanced to the point where an insertionand rolling motion of components of an elongated component such as acatheter instrument, e.g., a catheter sheath and associated guidewire,are generally controllable by selectively operating rollers or othermechanisms for generally gripping the component. Some known mechanismsuse gripping devices capable of infinite motion for translation, e.g., aroller, may require complex catheter component loading procedures, ormay not be compatible with replaceable components adapted for a sterileoperating environment.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for systems and methods forinserting and rolling catheter components that address or solve theabove problems.

SUMMARY

An exemplary drive apparatus is disclosed having a roller assemblyconfigured to impart axial motion to the elongate member along a firstcontinuous surface configured to maintain contact with the elongatemember during axial motion. The drive apparatus may further include aroller support configured to rotate the roller assembly, therebyimparting rotational motion to the elongate member. The roller supportmay be configured to rotate the roller assembly about a secondcontinuous surface configured to maintain contact with the rollersupport during rotational motion. Moreover, the roller assembly androller support may be configured to impart axial and rotational motionindependently of one another, such that a first one of the rollerassembly and the roller support imparts their associated motionregardless of a presence or absence of motion by the other of the rollerassembly and the roller support.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the claims are not limited to the illustrated embodiments, anappreciation of various aspects is best gained through a discussion ofvarious examples thereof. Referring now to the drawings, illustrativeembodiments are shown in detail. Although the drawings represent theembodiments, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certainfeatures may be exaggerated to better illustrate and explain aninnovative aspect of an embodiment. Further, the embodiments describedherein are not intended to be exhaustive or otherwise limiting orrestricting to the precise form and configuration shown in the drawingsand disclosed in the following detailed description. Exemplaryembodiments of the present invention are described in detail byreferring to the drawings as follows.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a robotically controlled surgical system,according to one exemplary illustration;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an exemplary catheter assembly of thesurgical system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is another exemplary illustration of an exemplary catheterassembly of the surgical system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of an exemplary drive apparatus for anelongated member, e.g., a guidewire for a catheter;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the exemplary drive apparatus ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the exemplary drive apparatus ofFIG. 4, with a support plate removed;

FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of a disposable device for theexemplary drive apparatus of FIG. 4, with the disposable device in anopen position;

FIG. 8 is a rear perspective view of the split clamp assembly of FIG. 7,with the disposable device in a closed position;

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of the disposable device of FIG. 7,with the disposable device in an open position and shown without a splithousing;

FIG. 10 is a rear perspective view of a drive mechanism for theexemplary drive apparatus of FIG. 4;

FIG. 11 is a section view of the exemplary drive mechanism taken throughline 11-11 in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12A is a perspective view of another roller assembly with anelongated member, according to an exemplary illustration; and

FIG. 12B is a front perspective view of the exemplary roller assembly ofFIG. 12A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, illustrative embodiments are shown indetail. Although the drawings represent the embodiments, the drawingsare not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated tobetter illustrate and explain an innovative aspect of an embodiment.Further, the embodiments described herein are not intended to beexhaustive or otherwise limit or restrict the invention to the preciseform and configuration shown in the drawings and disclosed in thefollowing detailed description.

Referring to FIG. 1, a robotically controlled surgical system 100 isillustrated in which an apparatus, a system, and/or method may beimplemented according to various exemplary illustrations. System 100 mayinclude a robotic catheter assembly 102 having a robotic or first orouter steerable complement, otherwise referred to as a sheath instrument104 (generally referred to as “sheath” or “sheath instrument”) and/or asecond or inner steerable component, otherwise referred to as a roboticcatheter or guide or catheter instrument 106 (generally referred to as“catheter” or “catheter instrument”). Catheter assembly 102 iscontrollable using a robotic instrument driver 108 (generally referredto as “instrument driver”). During use, a patient is positioned on anoperating table or surgical bed 110 (generally referred to as “operatingtable”) to which robotic instrument driver 108 may be coupled ormounted. In the illustrated example, system 100 includes an operatorworkstation 112, an electronics rack 114 and associated bedsideelectronics box (not shown), a setup joint mounting brace 116, andinstrument driver 108. A surgeon is seated at operator workstation 112and can monitor the surgical procedure, patient vitals, and control oneor more catheter devices. Operator workstation 112 may include acomputer monitor to display a three dimensional object, such as acatheter instrument or component thereof, e.g., a guidewire, cathetersheath. Moreover, catheter instrument 502 may be displayed within orrelative to a three dimensional space, such as a body cavity or organ,e.g., a chamber of a patient's heart. In one example, an operator uses acomputer mouse to move a control point around the display to control theposition of catheter instrument.

System components may be coupled together via a plurality of cables orother suitable connectors 118 to provide for data communication, or oneor more components may be equipped with wireless communicationcomponents to reduce or eliminate cables 118. Communication betweencomponents may also be implemented over a network or over the internet.In this manner, a surgeon or other operator may control a surgicalinstrument while being located away from or remotely from radiationsources, thereby decreasing radiation exposure. Because of the optionfor wireless or networked operation, the surgeon may even be locatedremotely from the patient in a different room or building.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary instrument assembly 200 is shown,including sheath instrument 104 and the associated guide or catheterinstrument 106 mounted to mounting plates 202, 204 on a top portion ofinstrument driver 108. During use, catheter instrument 106 is insertedwithin a central lumen of sheath instrument 104 such that instruments104, 106 are arranged in a coaxial manner. Although instruments 104, 106are arranged coaxially, movement of each instrument 104, 106 can becontrolled and manipulated independently. For this purpose, motorswithin instrument driver 108 are controlled such that carriages coupledto each of the instruments 104, 160 may allow the instruments 104, 106to be driven forwards and backwards along the driver 108, e.g., withmounting plates securing the instruments to the driver 108 on bearings.As a result, a catheter 300 coupled to guide catheter instrument 106 andsheath instrument 104 can be controllably manipulated while insertedinto the patient, as will be further illustrated. Additional instrumentdriver 108 motors (not shown in FIG. 2) may be activated to controlbending of the catheter as well as the orientation of the distal tipsthereof, including tools mounted at the distal tip. Sheath catheterinstrument 106 is configured to move forward and backward for effectingan axial motion of the catheter, e.g., to insert and withdraw thecatheter from a patient, respectively.

Referring now to FIG. 3, another exemplary instrument 109 is illustratedmounted on the exemplary instrument driver 108. The instrument 109includes a cover 111 and a drive apparatus 400 partially extending outof the cover, as will be described further in regard to FIGS. 4-11. Morespecifically, as will be described further, the drive apparatus 400 mayinclude a disposable portion 402 which extends out of the housing 111,while an associated drive mechanism (not seen in FIG. 3) remains withinthe housing 111. Accordingly, the drive mechanism (not shown in FIG. 3)may generally be reused for surgical procedures, while the disposableportion 402 may part of a sterile environment associated with a surgicalprocedure and may be disposed of afterwards. Moreover, as will bedescribed further below the disposable portion 402 may be formed ofrelatively cost-effective materials and may be of a generally smallrelative size, minimizing a length of the elongate member that must beallowed for the drive mechanism 400 to properly “grip” the elongatemember, and increasing cost-effectiveness of the system 100 overall.

During use the instrument 109 may be used to manipulate an elongatemember included in the catheter assembly 102, e.g., a catheter guidewire(not shown in FIG. 3). Alternatively, the instrument 109 may be employedto manipulate a catheter sheath (not shown in FIG. 3). Although a singleinstrument 109 is illustrated in FIG. 3, in another exemplaryillustration two instruments 109 may be employed in which a firstinstrument 109 is used to insert and roll a guidewire, which guidewireis inserted within a central lumen of a second instrument 109 (not shownin FIG. 3) such that the two instruments 109 are arranged in a coaxialmanner, substantially as described above regarding the instruments 104,106. Additionally, the instruments 109 may generally insert and rotatethe associated elongate member, i.e., the guidewire and catheter sheath,independently, as described above regarding the instruments 104, 106.Accordingly, while the exemplary illustrations herein may generallyfocus on the insertion and rotation of a guidewire for a catheter, theinstrument 109 may be used for insertion and rotation of any elongatemember that is convenient.

Turning now to FIGS. 4-11, exemplary drive apparatus 400 is illustratedin further detail. As noted above, the drive apparatus 400 may include adisposable mechanism 402 for contacting and driving an elongate member,e.g., a guidewire or catheter. An associated drive mechanism 404 maygenerally be configured to be kept separate from the disposablemechanism 402, at least to an extent allowing the drive mechanism 404 tobe kept out of a sterile environment associated with the elongate memberand surgical procedure. As best seen in FIGS. 4-6, the disposablemechanism 402 may be supported between two idle rollers 421, 423, and adriving roller 425 which is configured to rotate the disposablemechanism 402 to impart rotational motion to the elongate member, aswill be described further below. Moreover, the idle roller 421 mayinclude a driving gear 422 for selectively imparting axial motion, i.e.,insertion or retraction, of an elongate member, as will also be furtherdescribed below.

The disposable portion 402 may include a roller assembly 487, e.g.,comprising one or more rollers 483 that are configured to impart axialmotion to the elongate member along a first continuous surface 485 a.For example, as best seen in FIG. 9, a roller 483 a and a second roller483 b each define generally cylindrical surfaces 485 a, 485 b that areconfigured to maintain contact with the elongate member during axialmotion, i.e., caused by rotation of the rollers 483. The drive apparatus400 may further include a roller support 421, 423, 425 configured torotate the roller assembly 487, i.e., at least one of the rollers 483,thereby imparting rotational motion to the elongate member. For example,as will be described further below, the rollers 483 may generally besupported within the clamps 401, 403 of the disposable portion, e.g.,via a saddle 474 or by the clamps 401, 403 themselves, such that therollers 483 may be rotated about an axis defined by the elongate member.Moreover, the roller support 421, 423, 425 may be configured to rotatethe roller assembly 487 about a second continuous surface 485 bconfigured to maintain contact with the roller support 421, 423, 425during rotational motion, thereby permitting generally any magnitude ofrotational motion. Moreover, the roller assembly 487 and roller support421, 423, 425 may be configured to impart axial and rotational motionindependently of one another, such that a first one of the rollerassembly 487 and the roller support 421, 423, 425 imparts theirassociated motion regardless of a presence or absence of motion by theother of the roller assembly and the roller support 421, 423, 425. Morespecifically, as will be described further below the rollers 483 maygenerally rotate about their respective spindles to provide axialmotion, regardless of whether the spindles themselves are being rotatedabout the axis of the elongate member.

Turning now to FIG. 7, the disposable drive mechanism 402 may include aleft clamp 401 and a right clamp 403, as best seen in FIG. 7. The leftand right clamps 401, 403 may be connected to each other with acompliant member 482 configured to maintain the left and right clamps401, 403 together in an open position as illustrated in FIG. 7. Morespecifically, in the open position the left and right clamps 401, 403are held together along a lower portion and are spaced apart by a gap Galong an upper portion of the clamps 401, 403. In one exemplaryillustration, the compliant member 482 includes first and second memorywires 482 a, 482 b, e.g., nitinol wires, which generally act similar toa spring in holding the clamps together in the open configuration shownin FIG. 7. The memory wires 482 a, 482 b may generally provide alocating feature for the roller assembly 487, thereby generallypositioning the rollers 483 a, 483 b within the clamps 401, 403, as bestseen in FIG. 9.

Referring now to FIG. 9, the disposable mechanism 402 is illustratedwith the left and right clamps 401, 403 (not shown in FIG. 9) removed.The disposable drive mechanism 402 includes a roller assembly 487, e.g.,having one or more rollers 483 a, 483 b for imparting axial motion tothe elongate member. As shown in FIG. 9, two rollers 483 a, 483 b may beconfigured to receive an elongate member (not shown in FIG. 9)therebetween. More specifically, the rollers 483 may each rotate aboutcorresponding spindles 484 a, 484 b. Moreover, as will be describedfurther below the rollers 483 a, 483 b may each have a plurality ofgeared teeth 478 a, 478 b which are meshingly engaged such that therotation of the rollers 483 a, 483 b is generally coordinated. Therollers 483 a, 483 b may each be generally round, thereby definingrespective continuous surfaces 485 a, 485 b about the generallycylindrical rollers 483 for engaging the elongate member. Morespecifically, an axial movement of any distance may be applied by therollers 483 a, 483 b, since the rollers 483 a, 483 b may continuouslyturn about the spindles 484 without limitation. Accordingly, axialmotion of the elongate member is not limited by any range of motion ofany component of the drive apparatus 400, allowing the drive apparatus400 to provide an axial movement in either direction of any magnitudewhile maintaining constant contact with the elongate member, i.e., byway of the generally looped or continuous surfaces 485 a, 485 b of therollers 483 a, 483 b.

The roller assembly 487 may be supported in a roller support 421, 423,425 configured to rotate the rollers about an axis perpendicular to thespindles 484 of the rollers 483. For example, the spindle 484 a of theroller 483 a may be supported in a saddle 474 that is engaged with aninterior surface of one of the clamps 401, 403 (not shown in FIG. 9) byway of a plurality of springs 473. Radially inward movement of thesaddle 474 away from the interior surface may be limited by stop pins475, which may engage an interior side of the saddle 474 to generallylimit radially inward movement of the saddle 474 and the roller 483 a,thereby limiting force applied by the roller 483 a to the elongatemember when the elongate member is positioned between the rollers 483 a,483 b. The spindle 484 b of the other roller 483 b may be supported inthe corresponding one of the clamps 401, 403 (not shown in FIG. 9).Accordingly, the spindle 484 b may be generally fixed within the clamps401, 403 while the spindle 484 a may be movable by way of the springs473 to provide a clamping force upon the elongate member.

The disposable device 402 may further comprise gear halves 426 a, 426 bwhich define an inner toothed surface 489 engaging a drive pinion 477(see FIGS. 7 and 8). The drive pinion 477 may be engaged with a wormgear 479 by way of worm 480, wherein the worm 480 is fixed for rotationwith the drive pinion 477. A location shaft 481 may be provided toassist with locating the above components within the clamps 401, 403, aswill be described further below. Additionally, a compliant element 482may be provided which generally provides a spring force urging theclamps 401, 403 toward an open position, e.g., as seen in FIG. 7.

The driving mechanism 404, as best seen in FIGS. 10 and 11, may includea front plate 451 having a channel 490 through which an elongate membermay be received during operation. The driving mechanism may furtherinclude a right idle roll rotational assembly 452 which corresponds toright idle roller 423 (see FIGS. 4-6). Additionally, a lever 453 islocated on the front plate 451 by way of a pivot shaft 460, about whichthe lever 453 may be pivoted by way of a threaded member 454, which maybe a driving screw. The driving mechanism 404 may include driving shafts455 and 456, which may be received within corresponding drive mechanisms(not shown) associated with the instrument driver 108 supporting theinstrument 109 (see FIG. 3). A driving roll rotational assembly 457supports bevel gears 458 and 459, which are engaged to transferrotational motion of the driving shaft 456 to driving roller 425 (seeFIGS. 4 and 5). A left idle roll bushing 461 and driving gear bushing463 may be supported in a housing 462 mounted to the support plate 451,as will be described further below.

The drive apparatus 400 may generally integrate a plurality of actuatingmechanisms together. The drive apparatus 400 may include a mechanism foropening and closing to facilitate loading and unloading of an elongatemember, e.g., a guidewire or a catheter. As will be described furtherbelow, the clamps 401, 403 may generally be opened to allow top loadingof an elongate member, and may thereby facilitate loading of theelongate member without requiring threading the elongate member axiallythrough the drive apparatus 400. The drive apparatus may also include amechanism for inserting and retracting the elongate member, i.e., in anaxial direction. Moreover, the drive apparatus 400 also includes amechanism for imparting rotational motion to the elongate member.Additionally, as will be described further below, the drive apparatus400 may provide axial motion and rotational motion simultaneously, andin an “infinite” manner. More specifically, as will be seen below theinsertion and rotational motion is provided by continuous drivesurfaces, e.g., the generally round or looped roller surfaces 485 a, 485b and the toothed gear engagement between the drive pinion 477 and gearhalves 426 a, 426 b. Accordingly, a generally continuous axial orrotational motionmay be provided without releasing the elongate memberduring the motion. In other words, the rotational and insertion motionsare not limited by any range of motion of the drive apparatus 400 orcomponents thereof. Moreover, the rotational and axial motion may beprovided independent of the other, i.e., one of or both of therotational and axial motion may be applied to the elongate member at anygiven time.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, the use and operation of the driveapparatus 400 will be described in further detail. Initially the driveapparatus 400 may be in the open position, i.e., where the disposableportion 402 defines a gap G between the clamps 401, 403 as best seen inFIG. 7. While the disposable portion 402 is in the open position, theelongate member, e.g., a guidewire or catheter (not shown in FIG. 6 or7), may be placed between the rollers 483 a, 483 b supported from belowby the compliant members 482. An end portion 425 a of driving roller 425(see FIG. 6), may be located in the driving roll assembly 457 and can bemoved up and down by rotation of the lever 453, which rotates about thepivot shaft 460, as best seen in FIG. 7. The lever 453 may be actuatedby threaded member 454. Accordingly, the driving roller 425 mayselectively open and close the disposable portion 402. Morespecifically, when the driving roller 425 is in an upper position asdefined by the pivoting of the lever 453, the disposable portion 402will be closed, as seen in FIG. 8. When the driving roller 425 is moveddownward to a lower position, the driving roller 425 generally allowsthe compliant element 482 to urge the clamps 401, 403 apart at the upperportion, defining the gap G as best seen in FIG. 7. Upon movement of thedriving roller 425 upward, the disposable portion 402 is forced toclose. For example, an engagement portion 425 b of the driving roller425 may come into contact with one or both clamps 401, 403, therebyforcing the clamps 401, 403 together at the upper portion, closing thegap G as seen in FIG. 8.

Upon closure of the disposable portion 402, the elongate member may beheld between the rollers 483 a, 483 b with a force that is generallylimited by springs 473, as best seen in FIG. 9. More specifically, thesprings 483 may generally act upon an inner surface of one of the clamps401, 403 (not shown in FIG. 9), urging the roller 483 a which issupported in the saddle 474 toward the other roller 483 b. Accordingly,a desired force of the rollers 483 a, 483 b may be adjusted based uponthe spring force imparted by the springs 473.

Turning now to FIGS. 6 and 10, a rotational motion imparted by the driveapparatus 400 to an elongate member will be described in further detail.The roller 425 may be rotated via the shaft 456, e.g., though bevelgears 458 and 459, as best seen in FIG. 10. Rotation of the drivingroller 425 in turn rotates the disposable portion 402 via frictionbetween the engagement portion 425 b of the roller 425 and an outersurface 402 a of the disposable portion 402, as best seen in FIG. 6.Motion may be imparted to the disposable portion via other mechanisms aswell. Merely as an example, motion may be transferred from the roller425 to the disposable portion 402 using corresponding toothed surfaceson the roller 425 and the disposable portion 402, similar to a gearedarrangement.

Turning now to FIGS. 9-11, the axial motion of the drive apparatus 400is described in further detail. FIG. 11 illustrates a cross section ofthe holders for left idle roller 423 and driving gear 422 (see FIG. 3).More specifically, left idle roll 423 is located by bushing 461 anddriving gear 422 is located by bushing 463. The bushing 463 may have adriving mechanism (not shown) for selectively rotating the driving gear422. Rotation of the driving gear 422 (see FIG. 3), which is engagedwith an outer toothed surface of gear halves 426 a, 426 b, will therebyrotate the gear halves 426 a, 426 b. The gear halves 426 a, 426 b whenin the closed position (i.e., as in FIG. 8) may form a gear that rotatesin response to the driving gear 422 (see FIG. 6). The gear halves 426 a,426 b in turn actuates gear 477 as best seen in FIGS. 7 and 8. The gear477 is located on the worm 480, as illustrated in FIG. 9. Rotation ofthe worm 480 in turn drives worm gear 479. The worm gear 479 actuatesone of the rollers 483 b. The other roller 483 a rotates in response tothe roller 483 b, as they are connected with the corresponding gears 478a, 478 b. The surfaces 485 a, 485 b of the rollers 483 a, 483 b maygenerally be designed to ensure substantially slipless contact with theelongate member, such that the turning of the rollers 483 a, 483 bimparts axial motion directly to the elongate member.

To enact simultaneous axial and rotational motion of the elongatemember, shaft 456 (see FIG. 10) and drive gear 422 (see FIG. 6) may bedriven simultaneously. Moreover, the instrument 109 may includeinterfaces for the shaft 456 and drive gear 422 that allow for selectiverotation of each, facilitating independent axial and rotational motion.Rotational speeds of the components of the drive apparatus 400 can beoptimized as needed to suit any given application, e.g., by altering theinterfaces between the various rotational parts, e.g., by adjusting thegeared arrangements to ensure reasonable rotational speeds of thecomponents based upon typical axial and rotational movement for thegiven application.

Turning now to FIGS. 12A and 12B, another set of exemplary rollers 783a, 783 b is illustrated with an elongate member 999, e.g., a guidewire.The rollers 783 a, 783 b may each define generally cylindricalcontinuous surfaces 785 a, 785 b, and may rotate about spindles 784 a,784 b, e.g., similar to rollers 483 a, 483 b. Moreover, the rollers 783a, 783 b may each define a plurality of upper teeth 799 a, 799 b, aswell as a plurality of lower teeth 789 a, 798 b. The upper teeth 799 aof the roller 783 a may generally mesh with the upper teeth 799 b of theroller 783 b, and the lower teeth 798 a of the roller 783 a maygenerally mesh with the lower teeth 798 b of the roller 783 b, therebygenerally preventing an elongate member received between the rollers 783a, 783 b, e.g., guidewire 999, from slipping out between the rollers 783a, 783 b. Moreover, the upper and lower teeth 799, 798 may still allowfor top loading of an elongate member such as the guidewire 999. Forexample, at least one of the rollers 783 a, 783 b may be supported in asaddle, e.g., as described above regarding roller 483 a, which allowsenough lateral displacement of the roller 783 a or 783 b to be moved totemporarily open a gap between the upper teeth 799 through which theelongate member can be laid between the rollers 783 a, 783 b.

Operator workstation 112, electronics rack 114 and/or drive apparatus400 may include a computer or a computer readable storage mediumimplementing the operation of drive and implementing the various methodsand processes described herein, e.g., process 1300. In general,computing systems and/or devices, such as the processor and the userinput device, may employ any of a number of computer operating systems,including, but by no means limited to, versions and/or varieties of theMicrosoft Windows® operating system, the Unix operating system (e.g.,the Solaris® operating system distributed by Oracle Corporation ofRedwood Shores, Calif.), the AIX UNIX operating system distributed byInternational Business Machines of Armonk, N.Y., the Linux operatingsystem, the Mac OS X and iOS operating systems distributed by Apple Inc.of Cupertino, Calif., and the Android operating system developed by theOpen Handset Alliance.

Computing devices generally include computer-executable instructions,where the instructions may be executable by one or more computingdevices such as those listed above. Computer-executable instructions maybe compiled or interpreted from computer programs created using avariety of programming languages and/or technologies, including, withoutlimitation, and either alone or in combination, Java™, C, C++, VisualBasic, Java Script, Perl, etc. In general, a processor (e.g., amicroprocessor) receives instructions, e.g., from a memory, acomputer-readable medium, etc., and executes these instructions, therebyperforming one or more processes, including one or more of the processesdescribed herein. Such instructions and other data may be stored andtransmitted using a variety of computer-readable media.

A computer-readable medium (also referred to as a processor-readablemedium) includes any non-transitory (e.g., tangible) medium thatparticipates in providing data (e.g., instructions) that may be read bya computer (e.g., by a processor of a computer). Such a medium may takemany forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media andvolatile media. Non-volatile media may include, for example, optical ormagnetic disks and other persistent memory. Volatile media may include,for example, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), which typicallyconstitutes a main memory. Such instructions may be transmitted by oneor more transmission media, including coaxial cables, copper wire andfiber optics, including the wires that comprise a system bus coupled toa processor of a computer. Common forms of computer-readable mediainclude, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk,magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD, any otheroptical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium withpatterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EEPROM, any othermemory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer canread.

Databases, data repositories or other data stores described herein mayinclude various kinds of mechanisms for storing, accessing, andretrieving various kinds of data, including a hierarchical database, aset of files in a file system, an application database in a proprietaryformat, a relational database management system (RDBMS), etc. Each suchdata store is generally included within a computing device employing acomputer operating system such as one of those mentioned above, and areaccessed via a network in any one or more of a variety of manners. Afile system may be accessible from a computer operating system, and mayinclude files stored in various formats. An RDBMS generally employs theStructured Query Language (SQL) in addition to a language for creating,storing, editing, and executing stored procedures, such as the PL/SQLlanguage mentioned above.

In some examples, system elements may be implemented ascomputer-readable instructions (e.g., software) on one or more computingdevices (e.g., servers, personal computers, etc.), stored on computerreadable media associated therewith (e.g., disks, memories, etc.). Acomputer program product may comprise such instructions stored oncomputer readable media for carrying out the functions described herein.

The drive apparatus 400 may advantageously use disposable materials inthe construction of the disposable mechanism 402, e.g., an injectionmolded plastic material. Additionally, the disposable mechanism isrelatively short in an axial direction associated with the elongatemember, minimizing wasted length, i.e., the portion of the elongatemember that must be gripped or held by the drive apparatus 400 duringoperation. The minimal length of the drive apparatus 400 may generallybe due in part to the containment of the driving mechanisms of thedisposable portion 402 within the clamps 401, 403. Additionally, thedrive apparatus employs separate driving mechanisms, e.g., rollers 483a, 483 b and the toothed gear engagement between the drive pinion 477and gear halves 426 a, 426 b, that allow for independent control of theaxial motion and rotational motion. Moreover, the drive apparatusmechanism 400 provides generally “infinite” motion due to the looped orround surfaces of the rollers 483 a, 483 b and the toothed gearengagement between the drive pinion 477 and gear halves 426 a, 426 b,thereby allowing for application of any magnitude of axial or rotationalmotion without having to release the elongate member. Accordingly, axialand rotational motion of the elongate member are not limited by anyrange of motion of the drive apparatus 400. Finally, the split clamps401, 403 of the disposable portion allows for top loading of theelongate member, such that the elongate member need not be threadedthrough the drive mechanism during installation of the elongate member.

The exemplary illustrations are not limited to the previously describedexamples. Rather, a plurality of variants and modifications arepossible, which also make use of the ideas of the exemplaryillustrations and therefore fall within the protective scope.Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description isintended to be illustrative and not restrictive.

With regard to the processes, systems, methods, heuristics, etc.described herein, it should be understood that, although the steps ofsuch processes, etc. have been described as occurring according to acertain ordered sequence, such processes could be practiced with thedescribed steps performed in an order other than the order describedherein. It further should be understood that certain steps could beperformed simultaneously, that other steps could be added, or thatcertain steps described herein could be omitted. In other words, thedescriptions of processes herein are provided for the purpose ofillustrating certain embodiments, and should in no way be construed soas to limit the claimed invention.

Accordingly, it is to be understood that the above description isintended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments andapplications other than the examples provided would be upon reading theabove description. The scope of the invention should be determined, notwith reference to the above description, but should instead bedetermined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fullscope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It isanticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the artsdiscussed herein, and that the disclosed systems and methods will beincorporated into such future embodiments. In sum, it should beunderstood that the invention is capable of modification and variationand is limited only by the following claims.

All terms used in the claims are intended to be given their broadestreasonable constructions and their ordinary meanings as understood bythose skilled in the art unless an explicit indication to the contraryin made herein. In particular, use of the singular articles such as “a,”“the,” “the,” etc. should be read to recite one or more of the indicatedelements unless a claim recites an explicit limitation to the contrary.

What is claimed is:
 1. A drive apparatus, comprising: a housing defininga housing space therein; a roller assembly comprising one or morerotatable rollers and configured to receive an elongate member; adriving roller having a first portion disposed within the housing spaceand a second portion extending outside the housing space; a firstdriving shaft configured to rotate the one or more rollers, whereinrotation of the one or more rollers imparts axial motion to the elongatemember along an elongate axis of the elongate member; and a seconddriving shaft configured to rotate the driving roller, wherein rotationof the driving roller imparts rotation to the elongate member about theelongate axis.
 2. The drive apparatus of claim 1, wherein rotation ofthe first driving shaft and the second driving shaft is roboticallycontrolled.
 3. The drive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first drivingshaft and the second driving shaft are configured for placement withincorresponding drive mechanisms of a robotic instrument driver.
 4. Thedrive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more rollers impart theaxial motion independently of the rotational motion imparted to theelongate member by the driving roller.
 5. The drive apparatus of claim1, further comprising a disposable barrel positioned outside the housingspace.
 6. The drive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or morerollers are configured to maintain contact with the elongate memberduring the axial motion.
 7. A drive apparatus for an elongated member,the drive apparatus comprising: a housing defining a housing spacetherein; a roller assembly configured to impart axial motion to theelongate member; and a roller support configured to rotate the rollerassembly to impart rotational motion to the elongate member, the rollersupport configured to be partially disposed within the housing space,wherein the axial motion and the rotational motion are impartedindependently of one another.
 8. The drive apparatus of claim 7, whereinthe roller assembly is configured to operate in an open configuration inwhich the elongate member may be placed within the roller assembly, orin a closed configuration in which the roller assembly is configured toimpart rotational motion to the elongate member.
 9. The drive apparatusof claim 7, wherein the roller assembly is configured to maintaincontact with the elongate member during axial motion.
 10. The driveapparatus of claim 7, wherein the roller assembly comprises one or morerollers configured to facilitate the imparting of the axial motion tothe elongate member, and wherein the drive apparatus further comprises apair of clamps at least partially surrounding the one or more rollers.11. The drive apparatus of claim 10, wherein the pair of clamps areconfigured to selectively open to define a gap, allowing the elongatemember to be top loaded and received through the gap.
 12. The driveapparatus of claim 7, wherein the roller support comprises a drivingroller configured to rotate the roller assembly.
 13. A drive apparatus,comprising: a housing defining a housing space therein; a pair of clampsadjacent to the housing and configured to receive an elongate member;and a plurality of support rollers positioned partially within thehousing space and configured to: support and rotate the pair of clamps,and operate in an open configuration or a closed configuration, wherein,in the closed configuration, the plurality of support rollers areconfigured to rotate the pair of clamps about an axis of the elongatemember.
 14. The drive apparatus of claim 13, wherein, in the openconfiguration, the plurality of support rollers are configured toposition the pair of clamps to allow the elongate member to receive theelongate member.
 15. The drive apparatus of claim 14, wherein theelongate member is configured to be top loaded between the pair ofclamps.
 16. The drive apparatus of claim 13, wherein, in the closedconfiguration, the plurality of support rollers are configured to rotatethe elongate member via rotation of the pair of clamps.
 17. The driveapparatus of claim 13, wherein the plurality of support rollers areconfigured to maintain contact with the pair of clamps.
 18. The driveapparatus of claim 13, wherein the plurality of support rollers comprisea driving roller and two idle rollers.
 19. The drive apparatus of claim13, wherein the plurality of support rollers comprise a driving rollerconfigured to rotate the pair of clamps.